The present invention relates to a system and method for the evaluation of pattern arrangements. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a display system, method and product for presenting and manipulating a plurality of substantially discrete simulated elements incorporating patterns corresponding to patterns to be used on carpeting or other floor covering or surface covering elements. The discrete simulated elements may be manipulated independently of one another to simulate various surface designs and arrangements of potential interest, for example, prior to actual purchase or installation of the floor covering. The discrete simulated elements are held in place relative to one another across a support surface in a substantially releasable manner so as to promote relatively easy manual manipulation and rearrangement by a user of the system.
Conventional evaluation of floor covering or flooring products such as carpeting, carpet tiles and area rugs involves a purchaser viewing samples or brochures showing products and patterns of interest and attempting to formulate a mental impression of how the floor covering will ultimately appear in an installed state within the final area of use.
This process may be further complicated in a large commercial installation such as may be present in office environments or expansive public facilities such as airports and the like wherein the floor covering is in the form of arranged patterned carpet tiles. In such installations, the carpet tiles are placed across the flooring surface in substantially adjacent relation to one another so as to appear as a substantially continuous patterned surface. Such installation techniques provide substantial flexibility in terms of developing a desired overall patterned arrangement across the flooring surface. In particular, the use of discrete tile elements permits a plurality of tiles having the same pattern to be arranged adjacent to one another in a so called xe2x80x9cmonolithicxe2x80x9d installation procedure wherein every tile is arranged in a similar relative orientation. It is likewise possible to install the discrete tiles in an orientation wherein a portion of the tile elements are rotated 90, 180, or 270 degrees relative to the adjacent tiles so as to create a slightly different appearance while nonetheless using a single pattern. It is also possible to incorporate tiles with different surface designs in a single installation such that different designs are present at different locations within the installation. Such multi-patterned installations may utilize either xe2x80x9cmonolithicxe2x80x9d or varying placement orientations in the installation process.
While the use of discrete tile products across a flooring surface provides the user with a number of potentially desirable installation options using either a single surface design pattern or multiple surface design patterns, it may be difficult for the user to visualize the coordinated arrangement of discrete elements prior to actual installation. While the use of physical samples of the floor covering material is generally useful, it may be difficult to visualize various combinations of different surface designs and/or placement orientations from such samples. Moreover, if multiple designs are contemplated, it may be time consuming and expensive to produce actual product samples for each contemplated design. Further, numerous actual 36 inchxc3x9736 inch full size carpet tile samples are heavy, bulky and cumbersome to transport to or from each customer and difficult for customers to manipulate. Finally, typical floor covering samples are not configured for mounting on a common support surface for manipulation and evaluation of different designs and/or orientation combinations.
Hence, there is a need for an improved system and method for evaluating potential floor covering pattern arrangements or installations prior to the floor covering products actually being purchased or installed.
The present invention provides advantages and alternatives over the prior art by providing a system, method and/or product whereby a user such as a prospective purchaser of floor coverings or other surface coverings may engage in the contemporaneous physical manipulation and evaluation of various combinations of surface patterns and/or placement orientations for floor covering elements prior to actual purchase or installation.
According to one aspect of the present invention a display system for simulating a floor covering pattern arrangement or installation is provided. The display system includes a support surface and a multiplicity of discrete manually manipulatable patterned simulated floor covering tile elements having a shape substantially corresponding to the shape of carpet or other floor covering tiles such as ceramic tile or the like to be used in the proposed installation thereby substantially simulating the shape of such floor covering tiles. The manipulatable patterned elements include surface designs substantially corresponding to available surface designs of floor covering tiles for potential use in the actual installation. The size and shape of the design elements in the surface designs across the simulated tile elements substantially correspond to the design patterns on the actual floor covering tiles in terms of relative size and shape such that the simulated tile elements appear as substantially complete but reduced versions of the patterns across the actual floor covering tiles. At least a portion of the manipulatable simulated tile elements may have surface designs, patterns, or colors different from other of the simulated tile elements. The simulated tile elements are preferably releasably attachable to the support surface such that they may be placed in selected pattern arrangements across the support surface and thereafter held at a defined position on the support surface. The simulated tile elements may thereby be arranged, rearranged, and held in place in a patterned arrangement across the support surface substantially corresponding to proposed arrangements of floor covering tiles across an underlying flooring surface in the proposed floor covering installation.
According to another aspect of the invention, a collection of manually manipulatable simulated floor covering tile elements incorporating designs substantially corresponding to designs present across floor covering tiles of possible interest to a purchaser is provided. The simulated floor covering tile elements include a show surface including a surface design corresponding substantially to an available surface design for a carpet or other floor covering tile product. The simulated floor covering tile elements further include an attachment surface disposed below the show surface for releasable attachment to a support structure so as to simulate disposition of floor covering tiles across a flooring surface. The attachment surface may comprise a magnetic material releasably attachable to a metallic support surface. The attachment surface may also comprise a multiple use releasable adhesive or one half of a hook and loop fabric attachable to a complimentary half of a hook and loop fabric disposed across a support surface. The simulated floor covering tile elements may be attached across the support surface in various arrangements corresponding to potentially desired floor covering tile arrangements in a floor covering installation and thereafter may be manually manipulated to yield various alternative arrangements for substantially contemporaneous evaluation of multiple prospective designs and/or installation arrangements.
Also, the support surface or structure may be held in various orientations without the releasably attached tile elements falling off. Moreover, the display system or product may be mounted on a wall in a vertical orientation with the tile elements attached to a front surface thereof.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a method of generating a simulated surface covering or floor covering installation is provided. In accordance with the method, one or more surface patterns corresponding substantially to surface patterns for available floor covering tile products are printed across a plurality of manually manipulatable simulated tile elements such that each simulated tile element is patterned across a show surface with a patterned design substantially corresponding to a patterned design present on an actual carpet tile or other floor covering tile element of interest to a user. The simulated tile elements are thereafter releasably attached across a support surface in a pattern substantially corresponding to a prospective arrangement of actual floor covering tile elements across a flooring surface. The simulated tile elements may thereafter be rearranged in one or more alternative patterned arrangement to simulate other prospective installation arrangements.